Cruise convention starts in Miami Beach

Cruise Shipping Miami kicked off Monday

"Miami Beach, during this week in March, is the center of the cruise universe," said Stein Kruse, the chief executive officer of Holland America.

Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival officials can enter the Miami Beach Convention floor and buy everything needed to build and outfit a first-class ship.

"From the ship builders, to the destinations, and the ports, and also all of the suppliers for onboard experience," said Daniel Read with Cruise Shipping Miami.

The convention is the largest of its kind in the world.

Anyone who's been on a cruise recently knows where the industry is, but insiders are in Miami Beach to figure out where the business is going. One of the most popular concepts is the green initiative.

"We take our guests to some of the most pristine places in the world and the best thing we can do is leave it exactly as we found it do that next time we go back there, which we do, it's just the way we found it," said Kruse.

Kruse said green ships are more efficient, and efficiency drives down waste and, eventually, expenses.

"Being green is not only something we all should be doing but it's good for business," said Kruse.

"Fuel management, energy management are probably the less sexy of the topics we're discussing but so fundamentally important for our business," said Michael Bayley, the the CEO of Celebrity Cruises.

Like the more than 10,000 participants, they are in Miami Beach to learn, grow, and figure out how to keep up with an ever-evolving industry. The convention runs until March 15.

Copyright 2013 by Local10.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.